Position Summary:
Position provides geomechanics functional excellence and geomechanics support across various disciplines and functions in Chevron’s Technology Center and Upstream business units by enabling safe operations & reducing environmental risk, enhancing field productivity & ensuring reserves, and safeguarding the system integrity & reliability. The position supports the development and application of well and reservoir geomechanical technologies that are integral to exploration, appraisal, development, and abandonment activities. The role brings together working subsurface knowledge and expertise in a growing technical area with significant impact and overlap with Shale and Tight, Carbon Sequestration and Deepwater assets. Responsibilities include strong teaming with CTC Subsurface, Wells, vendors and academic organizations, and national labs. Works closely with the rock mechanics lab and helps guide first principles experiments that drive R2R2P. Part- or full-time participation in the Subsurface Data Platform activities is expected.
Key Responsibilities:
- Integrate geological and geophysical data into the construction and interpretation of geomechanical models.
- Conduct analyses and manage projects to address geomechanical challenges such as: fracturing, fault reactivation, subsidence/compaction, PI decline, fractured injector performance, wellbore stability, sand production, induced seismicity, etc.
- Initiate and conduct research and development in well and reservoir geomechanics to address business needs.
- Conduct Finite Element modeling and or coupled flow and geomechanics modeling. Manage, create, and analyze Mechanical Earth Models.
Required Education & Experience:
- Familiarity with Petrel or similar earth-modeling software.
- Demonstrated ability to leverage and maintain a broad and diverse base of mutually beneficial relationships. Ability to determine customer needs, educate customers on solutions and manage customer expectations. Take responsibility for outcomes. Foster positive relationships. Ensure inclusive treatment of others. Share information & resources. Promote healthy debate.
- Able to provide mentoring and training to less experienced staff. Encourage new ideas. Adapt to change. Enable others to develop beyond existing skillset.
- Knowledge of structural geology and/or geophysics and of characterization of natural fractures.
- PhD in Petroleum, Earth Science, Rock Mechanics, Geomechanics, Geophysics or affiliated fields is required
- Able to guide and support technology development in response to business needs.
- Data analytics-AI-ML knowledge and lab experience would be beneficial.
- Demonstrated skills in geomechanics. Proven skillset to address challenges such as: fracturing, fault reactivation, subsidence/compaction, PI decline, fractured injector performance, wellbore stability, sand production, induced seismicity, etc.
- Shale & Tight asset class knowledge preferred.
- A minimum of 5 -15 years’ experience. A relevant geomechanics-related research topic in grad school could be considered as part of this requirement.
- Familiarity with all or a subset of the following workflows: geomechanics coupling, Mechanical Earth Model (MEM) creation, finite element modeling, and geophysical-geomechanical data integration.
- Experience working with vendors, academic research organizations and national labs is desired.